Exclusive reports reveal Chinese mining in Congo’s shrinking reserves

Written by Sam Mednick

West Africa journalist Sam Mednick has revealed the scale of mining within the disputed boundaries of a protected heritage site in eastern Congo.

Mednick reported on Chinese companies expanding mining operations under suspicious circumstances, and one of those companies quickly expanded operations with legal permits to mine in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve while shrinking the boundaries of the endangered UN heritage site.

The reserve is remote, the mines are guarded by soldiers, and the area is teeming with armed groups, including one linked to the Islamic State. No commercial flights go there, and the roads there are unpaved. Mednick flew close to the site, but getting to the reserve required complex logistics, and she spent two years trying to return.

Mednick boarded herself on a UN flight to the nearest city and drove. Once there, authorities refused to talk to her, guards were warned to stay away, and aid groups did not engage with her for fear of backlash. Although she was denied access, Mednick asked several miners working with the Chinese to meet her secretly for rare interviews. Mednick filmed a video and took photos of her own as well as getting more photos from the people who were inside.

Through aerial footage and camera traps, the story showed the deterioration of the forest and the expansion of the mine. Satellite images showed a six-year timeline for expansion and a map contrasting the park’s past and current boundaries.

Mednick’s story was the first to reveal an internal government memo in which the mining ministry agreed its boundaries were wrong and said it would expel the companies. However, the Ministry of Mining publicly maintains that the limits it uses are correct.

The story was widely shared by conservationists, and mining experts appreciated its historical record, with one conservationist thanking Mednick for “addressing this sensitive topic.”

For not giving away this environmental story in a place where it’s almost impossible to report, Mednick was named AP’s Best of the Year – second winner.